Sharon High School alum Bruce Pearl hired to coach Auburn

Pearl gets a six-year deal starting at $2.2 million annually, less than a week after Auburn fired Tony Barbee.

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By The Associated Press

The Herald News, Fall River, MA

By The Associated Press

Posted Mar. 19, 2014 at 2:26 AM
Updated Mar 19, 2014 at 2:31 AM

By The Associated Press

Posted Mar. 19, 2014 at 2:26 AM
Updated Mar 19, 2014 at 2:31 AM

» Social News

AUBURN, Ala. – New Auburn coach Bruce Pearl wasted no time making an impression – and some bold promises.

The former Tennessee coach, who went to Sharon (Mass.) High School and Boston College, sprung for pizza for several hundred students Tuesday a few hours after arriving in town. Then he told a couple of thousand fans at Auburn Arena: “We will play for championships.”

“We’re fixing to get Auburn into that position where we’ll be going to the NCAA tournament,” he said, adding that he wanted to be the winningest coach in program history.

Before stepping away from the podium, he proclaimed: “I’m baack.” Then Auburn fans sang “Happy Birthday” to Pearl, who turned 54 on Tuesday.

The Tigers turned to Pearl to revive a struggling basketball program that hasn’t made that field since 2003, causing quite a splash in a football-mad state. Athletic director Jay Jacobs landed his top target with a six-year deal starting at $2.2 million annually, less than a week after firing Tony Barbee.

Pearl will receive $100,000 raise each year and will owe Auburn $5 million if he leaves in the next two years, Jacobs said. It made the $2,100 tab for pizza easy to swallow.

Pearl remains under a show-cause penalty from the NCAA barring him from recruiting until Aug. 23. Auburn has 30 days to accept or contest the penalty, and Jacobs said the school hasn’t decided how to handle that yet.

Pearl had plenty of success on the court, taking Tennessee to the NCAA tournament in each of his six seasons before getting fired in March 2011 in the wake of an NCAA investigation.

Pearl was cited for unethical conduct for lying to investigators in June 2010 about improperly hosting recruits at his home. He was placed under a three-year show-cause penalty.

He also was found to have interfered with the NCAA’s investigation after he contacted a recruit’s father who had also been interviewed by investigators.

Pearl, who is 231-99 in Division I, has been working in private business in Knoxville, Tenn., and for ESPN. He has led eight of his 10 Division I teams to the NCAA tournament, including twice in four seasons at Wisconsin-Milwaukee and led Division II Southern Indiana to a national title in 1995.

Pearl led the Volunteers to the Sweet Sixteen four times and they made the Elite Eight in 2010.

Pearl takes over a team that went 14-16 and loses three starters, including leading scorer Chris Denson.

That didn’t take away from his joy of being “baack.”

“I’m truly humbled and I’m blessed to have this opportunity,” Pearl said. “It’s been a long three years being away from the game. One of the things that I just want to tell you is as a coach and even as a father, when I made the mistakes I made at Tennessee, I let a lot of people down.